Education camps to brighten summer

Campers at last year's archaeology camp do some wading in Range Creek.

The Emery County Education Council is again sponsoring summer camps with education and fun in mind. A total of 11 camps for students grades 1-12 are being presented in the Emery/Carbon area. There is also a camp for the preschool and kindergarten age children.

The camp for those preschool and kindergarten age children is the Mini Dino Day Camp to be held June 11 for a small charge of $6 per child. The camp is limited to 48 children so sign up soon.

For the students in first through sixth grades, there will be three camps available. The Dinosaur Day Camp will be held June 12 and also on June 13. Each of these day camps are limited to 48 children and the charge per day is $12. There will also be an Archaeology Day Camp on June 14 for $12. This camp is also limited to 48 children.

For the older students, seventh through ninth grades, a two day Archaeology Camp will be held in Nine Mile Canyon on June 25-26. The cost for this camp is $100 and there are scholarships available for in-state students. This camp is limited to six students.

A popular camp brought back from last year is CSI:Emery County. It is for seventh through ninth graders and will be held on June 29. The cost is $10 and is limited to 15 campers.

For students in sixth through 12th grades, a Computer Technology Camp will be held on June 26. The cost for the camp is $5 and is limited to 24.

For students in ninth through 12th grades, there will be four camps available including a Paleontology Camp, an Archaeology Camp, a Wildlife Conservation Camp, and an Entrepreneurship Camp. Each of these camps will offer a $500 college scholarship to one lucky camper. As an added incentive, a grant has been obtained through the State of Utah which will pay the majority of the tuition costs for in-state students to these camps.

Paleontology Camp will be held June 18-22 and will cost $875. The application deadline for this camp is May 25, and this camp is limited to 10 students. This is a five-day workshop, which will be taught outdoors at geologic outcrops and at a active dinosaur quarry in Southeastern Utah.

This workshop is designed for incoming ninth through graduating 12th grade high school students. The field classes will consist of professional instruction, field trip stops with hands-on experiences, excavation work in a dinosaur quarry, and an opportunity to work in the CEU Bone Lab preparing real dinosaur bones for museum study.

There are no prerequisite classes for this workshop, although students should have had a basic earth systems course. The course will cover the basic concepts of historical geology, including basic stratigraphic concepts, the concept of geologic time, principles of fossil correlation, the identification of the basic rock types, and paleoclimate and paleoenvironmental analysis, and basic concepts of paleontology, including dinosaur osteology, paleoecology, bone preparation and quarry excavation.

This field school will provide a "hands-on" experience for students interested in pursuing a professional career in paleontology or a related discipline. Students that excel at this field school may be eligible to apply for a $500 college scholarship offered by the Emery County Economic Development Council. Students are expected to attend all days of the camp and are responsible for taking notes on lectures and field trips. Students are expected to read each of the assigned handout materials and other readings provided by the instructor. Students will camp at the quarry site. Full-time (24-hr/day) adult supervision (male and female) will be provided at the quarry and campsite. Transportation will be provided to and from the quarry.

Archaeology Camp will be held July 16-20 and will cost $650 with a limited size of six students. The deadline for application is June 25. This is a five-day field school held in conjunction with the University of Utah's on-going archeology field school, which will be taught outdoors at Range Creek Canyon in Emery County. This field school is designed for incoming ninth through graduating 12th grade high school students. There are no prerequisite classes for this field school. The course will cover the basic concepts of archaeological field investigations. Students will receive instruction in archaeological field surveying, mapping, soil identification, and aspects of paleo-ecological research.

This field school will provide a "hands-on" experience for students interested in pursuing a professional career in archaeology or a related discipline. Students that excel at this field school may be eligible to apply for a $500 college scholarship offered by the Emery County Economic Development Council.

Students are expected to attend all days of the camp and are responsible for taking notes on lectures and field trips. Students are expected to read each of the assigned handout materials and other readings provided by the instructor. Students will camp in Range Creek Canyon. Full-time (24-hr/day) adult supervision (male and female) will be provided at the field school and campsite. Transportation will be provided to and from Range Creek Canyon.

Two adult support staff positions are available for this workshop. There will be no cost to the volunteer support staff. Please submit a resume of qualifications to the address listed on the student registration form.

Wildlife Conservation Camp will Aug. 15-17 and the cost is $650 with a limited class size of six students. This is a three-day field school held in cooperation with the Utah Division of Wildlife Resources, owner and manager of Range Creek Canyon. This field school is designed for incoming ninth through graduating 12th grade high school students. There are no prerequisite classes for this field school.

The course will cover the basic field skills in wildlife and fisheries management and ecology introduced by practicing state biologists. Techniques in which students will have the opportunity to participate include radio telemetry, mist-netting for songbirds and bats, electro-fishing, reptile and small mammal sampling, and GPS technology.

This field school will provide a "hands-on" experience for students interested in pursuing a professional career in wildlife and fisheries biology or a related discipline. Students are expected to attend all days of the camp and are responsible for taking notes on lectures and field trips.

Students are expected to read each of the assigned handout materials and other readings provided by the instructor. Students will camp in Range Creek Canyon. Full-time (24-hr/day) adult supervision (male and female) will be provided at the field school and campsite. Transportation will be provided to and from Range Creek Canyon.

Two adult support staff positions are available for this workshop. There will be no cost to the volunteer support staff. Please submit a resume of qualifications to the address listed on the student registration form.

Entrepreneurship Camp will be held July 11-Aug. 9 and will cost $75. This camp is limited to 15 and will be held at the Department of Workforce Services office in Castle Dale. This course will cover the basics of starting and running a small business. The campers will go through the NexLevel business course and will learn business plans, financing a business, and running a successful small business. Application deadline for this camp is June 29.

For more information or to register for these camps call 435-381-5576 or email econdev@co.emery.ut.us. An application may be printed from www.emerycounty.com, filled out and mailed to Emery County Educational Council, P.O. Box 297, Castle Dale, UT 84513.